My Work as a Teacher
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Philosophy
My work and my hope as a teacher of visual art is to give my students not only drawing and painting skills, but also the skills to continue on in their progression as visual artists. In other words to be self-learners, able to thoughtfully assess where they've been, see with clarity where they are, and develop a vision for themselves of the future. Consequently, concepts and principles are taught in segments, showing students how they can objectively look at their own work and define what is working and what needs to be strengthened, corrected, or changed. I also teach them in a manner that communicates a kind of order an artist can follow, as they take their work from beginning to completion. When working with beginning students it's all about the nuts and bolts of painting and drawing. Because of this work I am a true believer in the importance of this underpinning in the education of all aspiring visual artists. I present the concepts and principles, show examples and share demonstrations, and then step back allowing as much time as possible for practice and skill development. From there I begin working individually with students helping them to see what they are doing right and where they need to improve, helping to correct a bad habit, or point out what they may be missing. Individual progress is almost as varied as the number of students there are in each class, thus the need for as much one-on-one work as possible in teaching. |
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Salt Lake Community College
Currently, as an adjunct member of the faculty in the Visual Art and Design Department, I work with one group of students each semester. My specialty has become 1. Foundation I Drawing for Art Majors, course 1110. Past subjects have included: 2. Introduction to Drawing for Non-Majors, course 1020. 3. Watercolor Painting, courses 1530 and 2530. 4. Landscape Painting, course 1580. 5. Exploring Art, course 1010. The following is a copy of an example syllabus from my drawing course.
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Brigham Young University-Idaho
Since January of 2010 I have worked as an adjunct member of the faculty at BYU-I, in their online learning program. The one class I have taught is Drawing, course 110. The program used for my work is "I-Learn." This kind of format is a new and far reaching way of working with students that I feel is a part of the wave of the future in education. While I am not a fan of some aspects of this format for art instruction, it does have many advantages when it comes to opening up opportunities for remote education, and reaching out to some for whom the opportunity to receive an education beyond high school would pose great challenges. The images to the left of this text I developed for my instruction through this program of study. Have a listen to this tutorial discussing ellipses and cylinders. http://www.screencast.com/t/rAAPRZoozxOx |